Chronology of the Pacific War

This article describes the timing of the Pacific War .

For the timing of the entire Second World War see Chronology of the Second World War and for the prehistory see Prehistory of the Second World War in the Pacific .

The main events here are marked in bold .

course

1937

Effects of the Japanese conquest of Shanghai

• July 7: A gun battle between units of the Japanese Kwantung Army and the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China at the Marco Polo Bridge in Fengtai ( incident at the Marco Polo Bridge ) triggers the Second Sino-Japanese War .
  • In response, the Japanese General Staff is moving further troop contingents to China.
• July 25th - 31st: The Japanese capture both cities in the Battle of Peking-Tianjin .
• August 13: Beginning of the Battle of Shanghai , which lasts until November 9 and claims around 200,000 Chinese and around 70,000 Japanese victims.
• September 13: Battle of Xinkou
• September 25: The Chinese Communist Army achieves a small tactical victory in the Battle of Pingxingguan , which goes down in communist Party's history as "The Great Victory of Pingxingguan" .
• December 12th: Panay Incident The USS Panay is sunk by Japanese planes. To avoid conflict, Japan pays $ 2,214,007.36 in compensation.
• December 12th: Nanking , the capital of the Kuomintang , falls to the Japanese. In the three-week Nanking massacre that followed, over 200,000 Chinese civilians were believed to have been murdered.

1938

• January: Beginning of the Japanese offensive towards Wuhan .
• March 24th: In the battle for Tai'erzhuang the Japanese army tried to conquer this important railway junction and encircle the Chinese there. The national Chinese were able to thwart the Japanese plan on April 7th with their first victory.
• May: Battle of Xuzhou
• July: Beginning of the Battle of Wuhan , which lasts until October. The Japanese take the city.

1939

Chinese machine gunner

• March 17th: The Battle of Nanchang ends on May 9th with the loss of the main supply line for the Chinese.
• April 24th: In the battle for Suixian-Zaoyang, the Chinese win a victory by May 24th.
• September 17th: The Japanese begin the battle for Changsha , the provincial capital of Hunan . But they give up their plan on October 6th.
• November 15: The battle for South Guangxi lasts until February 25, 1940.

1940

• January 30th: The battle of South Henan lasts a month and ends with a Chinese victory.
• March 14th: In the Battle of Shanggao, the Chinese win a victory by April 9th.
• May 7th: The battle of South Shanxi ends with a Japanese victory on May 27th.
• July 17th: Under massive diplomatic pressure from the Japanese, the British close the Burma Road , which is an important link for supplying the Chinese troops.
• August 20: The Chinese Communists open the Hundred Regiments Offensive , which will last until December 5. Towards the end there was a rift between Peng Dehuai , the military leader of the communists, and Mao Zedong .
• August 29: Vichy France complies with Japan's request to be allowed to station troops in northern Indochina .
• October 18: The British reopen the Burma Road as there were no further peace efforts between Japan and China.
• November 11th: The Automedon incident gives Japan access to British secret papers containing an assessment of the situation and strategy in the Far East.
• December 6th to 8th and 29th: Attack on Nauru by the German auxiliary cruisers Komet and Orion on the island of Nauru ; Sinking of five cargo ships and bombardment of the phosphate loading facility.

1941

• April 13: Japan and the Soviet Union sign the Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact .
• July 10: Nazi Germany urges Japan to go to war against the Allies.
• July 23: Japan occupies all of Indochina with the consent of Vichy France.
• July 25: The US freezes all Japanese capital in its country and imposes an export embargo.
• July 28: 40,000 Japanese soldiers land in Indochina.
• September 6th:
  • The Japanese attempt to take the city for the second time in the battle for Changsha . They fail again on October 8th.
  • The Japanese government decides to be fully prepared for war by the end of October.
• October 17: Japanese Prime Minister Konoe Fumimaro resigns. His successor is Tōjō Hideki , who is in fact considered to be the military dictator of Japan.
• November 20: The Japanese high command issues the attack orders, but decides that these cannot be carried out until the next diplomatic result.
• November 27: The American naval forces in the Pacific region are set on war alarm.
• December 1: The date for the start of war operations is set on December 7th in Japan.
• December 6th: In a personal telegram, Franklin D. Roosevelt asks the Japanese Emperor Hirohito to keep the peace. Japan replied with a 14-page diplomatic note to be delivered to the American government at 1:00 p.m. the following day.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

• December 7th:
  • Start of the Japanese Southeast Asia offensive with landings on the Malay Peninsula near Kota Bahru (→ Japanese invasion of the Malay Peninsula ).
  • Japanese planes of the Kidō Butai fly the attack on Pearl Harbor , a US base in Hawaii .
  • Two Japanese destroyers bombard the Midway Islands .
• December 8th:
  • The US and its allies declare war on Japan, and the US enters World War II.
  • Beginning of the Battle of the Philippines
  • Japanese invasion of Thailand (→ battle for Prachuap Khiri Khan ).
  • Japanese troops begin the attack on the British crown colony of Hong Kong (→ Battle of Hong Kong ).
  • Air raid on the airfield on Wake by Japanese fighter planes that took off from Roi-Namur ( Marshal Islands ).
• December 9th: China officially declares war on Japan, the German Empire and Italy .
  • Japanese troops enter Bangkok . Thailand becomes an ally of the Japanese.
• 10th of December:
  • Japanese troops occupy Makin and Tarawa during the capture of the Gilbert Islands .
  • Sinking of Prince of Wales and Repulse - Force Z .
• December 11th: The British suffer a heavy defeat in the battle for the Jitra Line (Malay Peninsula).
• December 16: Landing of the Japanese on North Borneo (→ Japanese invasion of Borneo ).
• December 20: From Kunming , the “ Flying Tigers ” fly an attack on Japanese bombers over southern Yunnan for the first time .
• December 21: Japanese troops capture the island in the Battle of Wake by December 23.
• December 23: Heavy Japanese bombing raid on Rangoon , killing around 2,000 people. Thousands are fleeing the city.

December 26, 1941: Manila is declared an "open city".

• December 24: Another attempt to take the Chinese city of Changsha fails in the third battle for Changsha on January 15, 1942.
• December 25th: In Hong Kong the allies surrender to the superior Japanese forces (→ Japanese occupation of Hong Kong ).
• December 26th: General MacArthur declares Manila an "open city" to save it from destruction. The Americans destroy tons of fuel in the city.

1942

• January 2nd: Manila in the Philippines falls to the Japanese
• 11th January:
  • The battle for Tarakan lasts until January 12th.
  • Japanese landings on Celebes on the beaches of Manado and Kema .
  • Kuala Lumpur in Malaya is taken by the Japanese. The retreating British set the tank farms on fire.
• January 14: In Washington, Lieutenant General Joseph Stilwell is appointed Chief of Staff of the Chinese Army and Commander in Chief of the US Forces in China .
• January 18: Under the protection of carrier aircraft USS Enterprise go US Marines in Pago Pago on land.
• January 20: The Japanese reach Burma's southern border from Thailand and cross it.
• January 21: Royal Australian Air Force bases are attacked by Japanese bombers in New Guinea . They cause immense damage.
• January 23:
  • Rabaul on the north-eastern tip of New Britain is taken by the Japanese and expanded into the most important fortress base in the following years (→ Battle of Rabaul ). This marked the beginning of the Battle of New Guinea for the Allies, which lasted until the end of the war.
  • Japanese landing forces go ashore in front of Balikpapan .
• January 24th:
  • Sea battle off Balikpapan .
  • Japanese landing at Kendari on Celebes.
• January 25th:
  • Thailand declares war on the Allies.
  • Japanese troops disembark at Lae , New Guinea. Australia reacts to this with complete mobilization .
• January 26th: The Japanese land in the northern Solomon Islands .
• January 29th:
  • Japanese landing in the Russell Islands ( Solomon Islands ), northwest of Guadalcanal .
  • The ANZAC defense area is decided in Washington . The zone covers the Pacific between Australia, New Zealand and French Caledonia ; only the troops stationed in New Zealand itself.
• January 31st: British Malaya falls entirely to Japan.
• January 31 to February 15: Siege of Singapore .
• February 1: The Americans undertake a surprise attack on the Marshall and Gilbert Islands .
• February 4th:
  • Battle of the Strait of Makassar .
  • Battle for Balikpapan .
• February 10th to March 8th: Conquest of the Dutch East Indies by the Japanese.
• February 14th: Japanese invasion of Sumatra begins .
• February 15th: Singapore is captured by the Japanese. More than 130,000 allies are captured during the Japanese conquest of the Malay Peninsula.
• February 16: The oil refineries near Palembang are occupied by the Japanese.
• 19th of February:
  • Japanese landing at Senoer in Bali .
  • Bombing of Darwin in the Northern Territory in Australia .
  • Beginning of the naval battle in the Strait of Badung . It ends on February 20th.
• February 20: The Japanese land on Timor . The long battle for Timor begins.
• February 23: Japanese submarine I-17 bombarded an oil refinery near Ellwood , California ( attack on Ellwood )
• February 25th: The Japanese land north of Surabaja on East Java .
• February 27 to March 1: Battle of the Java Sea .
• 1st March:
  • Landing of the Japanese on Java ; in the west of the island at Merak and in the east at Kragan .
  • Battle of the Sunda Strait .
• 3 March:
  • Japanese troops conquer Christmas Island
  • Air raid on Broome in Western Australia by Japanese fighter planes
• March 5: Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sends another small air raid on Pearl Harbor to demoralize the base.
• March 8: The Japanese landing in New Guinea near Lae and Salamaua (→ Operation SR ) cannot be prevented by an Allied carrier attack.
• March 9th: The Allies on Java surrender to the Japanese.
• March 10th: The formal deed of surrender is signed by the Dutch on Java. The whole of the Dutch East Indies falls to the Japanese.
• March 11: General MacArthur and his family leave Corregidor in four speedboats for Mindanao on orders from Washington . Command goes to Major General Jonathan M. Wainwright .
• March 12: The Americans land in New Caledonia and set up a base in Nouméa .
• March 13th: The Japanese land in the Solomon Islands .
• March 17th: General MacArthur is flown from Mindanao to Darwin. On the same day he flies to Alice Springs .
• March 21: After arriving in Adelaide , General MacArthur realizes that a liberation army for the Philippines cannot be set up because there are far too few Allied troops and supplies in Australia. His famous sentence falls: "I shall return!" (German: "I'll come back!")
• March 23: Japanese capture of the Andamans in the Bay of Bengal .
• March 28: Sumatra falls when Dutch Major General RT Overakker surrenders with 2,000 soldiers near Kutatjane in North Sumatra .
• March 30th: Japanese Operation C begins , a major attack on Allied bases in the Indian Ocean
• April 5th:
  • A Japanese fleet of five aircraft carriers attacks a British base on Ceylon as part of Operation C and sinks two British heavy cruisers in the process .
  • Around 2,000 people are killed in the bombing of Mandalay (Burma). Mandalay burns down almost completely.
• April 6th. Japanese landing troops occupy Lorengau on the Admiralty Islands .
• April 8: A Japanese unit from Rabaul lands in western New Britain .
• 9th April:
  • The Bataan Death March begins in the Philippines.
  • Operation C: Attack on Trincomalee . The Japanese sink the British carrier HMS Hermes .
• April 17th: The Japanese conquer central Burma .
• April 18: American air raid on Tokyo ( Doolittle Raid ). As a result, the Japanese begin the Battle of Zhejiang-Jiangxi in mainland China in search of the pilots , in which 250,000 Chinese civilians are killed.
• April 19: Japanese landing in Dutch New Guinea .
• April 30th: The Japanese cut ties to China by conquering Lashio in Burma .
• May 1st: The Japanese take Mandalay in Burma.
• May 3: Japanese invasion of Tulagi as part of Operation MO .
• May 4th: surprise attack in three waves by carrier aircraft of the USS Yorktown on the Japanese ships lying off Tulagi. A destroyer, three minesweepers and four landing craft are sunk.

The Americans capitulate in Corregidor / Philippines

The Lexington aircraft carrier on fire during the Battle of the Coral Sea

• May 6th:
  • After the fall of Corregidor, the Philippines are almost entirely conquered by Japan. Only in Mindanao is fighting continued under General William F. Sharp .
  • General Joseph Stilwell has to withdraw from Burma with his Chinese troops before the advancing Japanese.
• May 6th to May 8th: In the Battle of the Coral Sea , the Japanese lose the aircraft carrier Shōhō and a destroyer. The carrier Shōkaku is badly damaged and the Zuikaku loses almost its entire aircraft squadron. The Americans lose the carrier USS Lexington , a destroyer and a tanker. The southern advance of the Japanese on Port Moresby is stopped.
• May 9: General Sharp and his troops surrender to the Japanese in Mindanao.
• May 11: The Okinoshima , the flagship of the Japanese invasion fleet heading for Nauru , is sunk by the submarine S-42 . The fleet is turning off again.
• May 16: Allied troops withdraw completely from Burma to India with 50% casualties .
• May 21: American decryption specialists provide evidence that the Japanese name “AF” is the Midway Islands .
• May 27: The Japanese fleet leaves for the Midway with four aircraft carriers, two light carriers, ten battleships, 13 heavy cruisers, 45 destroyers, several submarines and smaller units.
• May 28: Two American aircraft carriers, together with five cruisers and nine destroyers, set course for the Midway Islands from Oahu.
• May 30th: Another American carrier, the USS Yorktown, sets course for the Midway Islands from Oahu, along with two cruisers and five destroyers, following preliminary repairs.
• June 3: Japanese carrier planes launch an attack on Dutch Harbor . The intended diversion from the midway operation fails, however.
• June 4 to June 6: The Japanese lose four aircraft carriers and a cruiser in the Battle of Midway . The Americans are losing a carrier and a destroyer.
• June 6th: The battle for the Aleutians begins. It only ended on August 15, 1943.
• June 16: The United States House of Representatives approves a $ 8 billion buildup of the US Navy. Aircraft carriers of 500,000 tons, cruisers of 500,000 tons and destroyers of 900,000 tons are to be built.
• June 20: Japanese submarine I-26 bombarded Estevan Point on Vancouver Island , British Columbia .
• June 21st:
  • Japanese attack on New Guinea .
  • Fort Stevens , Oregon is shelled by Japanese submarine I-25 .
• June 25: PBYs bomb Japanese base on Tulagi.
• July 2: The United General Staff of the US Armed Forces adopts a directive to retake New Britain , New Ireland and New Guinea . In the first phase the southern Solomon Islands, in the second phase the northern Solomon Islands and northeast New Guinea and in the third phase Rabaul are to be occupied. The offensive opening date will initially be set for August 1st, but will then be postponed to August 7th.
• July 4th: 1200 Japanese soldiers go ashore as reinforcements on Kiska .
• July 21: The Japanese bring 33,000 soldiers to Buna and Gona in New Guinea.
• July 29th: The Kokoda airfield in New Guinea is captured by the Japanese on their way over the mountains to Port Moresby .
• July 31: American B-17s launch a seven-day bombardment of Tulagi and Guadalcanal .

The operations in the Solomon Islands

• August 7th:
  • The three-day battles over Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo begin and open the American Operation Watchtower .
  • American troops begin the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands . The fighting until the Japanese surrendered lasted until February 8, 1943.
• August 9: Allies lose four cruisers in the battle of Savo Island . A Japanese cruiser is sunk in retreat.
• August 13th: 3,000 Japanese pioneers reach Basabua near Gona . In the four-day battle at Isurava , the Japanese defeat Australian troops and then move on to Port Moresby.
• August 17th: US Marines land on Butaritari with 221 men , destroy a Japanese radio station. Of the 70 Japanese stationed there, half fell. As a result, the Japanese are expanding the fortifications of many smaller atolls, including Tarawa .
• August 24th to August 25th: The battle of the Eastern Solomon Islands costs the Japanese the light carrier Ryūjō .
• August 25:
  • Ocean Island and Nauru are taken by the Japanese.
  • In Milne Bay , New Guinea, 1,150 Japanese soldiers go ashore and encounter considerable resistance from the Australians stationed there.
• August 28: The Japanese start the Tokyo Express to deliver supplies to Guadalcanal.
• August 30: A total of 3,500 Japanese soldiers land at Taivu Point and Kokumbona on Guadalcanal to advance to Henderson Field .

A damaged Japanese type 95 Ha-Go tank is stuck in the mud (Rabi, Milne Bay)

• September 7th: The Australians teach the Japanese the first great land defeat: Milne Bay in New Guinea is cleared again by the Japanese with great losses.
• September 9: A Japanese light aircraft launched from submarine I-25 drops bombs in a forest near Mount Emily , Oregon , to spark forest fires.
• September 13th: The Battle of Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal lasts until September 16th.
• September 17: The Japanese advance into New Guinea comes to a halt at Ioribaiwa within sight of Port Moresby.
• September 18: Over 4,100 US Marines arrive on Guadalcanal. The Americans are thus defending the island with more than 23,000 soldiers. But over 8,500 of them suffer from serious illnesses. Most of them suffer from malaria . The Japanese opponent suffers mainly from hunger due to the low daily rations and from exhaustion.
• September 24th: The Japanese continue to invade the Gilbert Islands on Maiana .
• September 25: Japanese landing on Beru (Gilbert Islands).
• September 27: Japanese landing on Kuria (Gilbert Islands).
• September 29: Repeated bombing of a forest in Oregon from aboard a Japanese I-25 light aircraft.
• October 2nd:
  • A US battalion takes Funafuti in the Ellice Islands .
  • B-17 bomb Rabaul.
• October 11th to October 12th: Battle of Cape Esperance .
• October 23-26: Battle of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.
• October 25th to October 27th: Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands .
• October 28th: ​​The Australians recapture the Kokoda airfield in New Guinea.
• November 13th to November 15th: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal .
• November 30th: Battle of Tassafaronga .
• December 13: Buna in New Guinea falls to the Americans.
• December 14th: Gona in New Guinea falls to the Australians.
• December 31: The Tennō Hirohito authorizes the Japanese withdrawal from Guadalcanal.

1943

American troops on the beach at Makinatoll in the Gilbert Islands

• January 29: The Battle of the Northern Solomon Islands begins with the Battle of Rennell Island .
• February 8th: After the Japanese have withdrawn, Guadalcanal is in American hands.
• March 2-4: The planes of the Royal Australian Air Force and the US Navy win the battle in the Bismarck Sea . This prevents a reinforcement of around 7,000 Japanese soldiers to New Guinea.
• March 26: Battle of the Komandorsky Islands to intercept a Japanese supply convoy for the Aleutians.
• April 18: In the American Operation Vengeance , the Japanese admiral Yamamoto Isoroku is shot down in his plane while approaching Bougainville and is killed in the process.
• May 12th: Battle of West Hubei begins in mainland China . It ends on June 3rd with a victory for the Chinese revolutionary army.
• On May 29, the last Japanese fell in the Battle of Attu
• June 21st: During the reconquest of the Solomon Islands , the Americans begin the tactic of island jumping .
• June 30th: Operation Cartwheel begins to isolate Rabaul with the Battle of New Georgia .
• July 5th: Battle of the Solomon Islands' Kula Gulf .
• August 6th: Battle of the Solomon Islands Vella Gulf .

A US Navy destroyer fires at Japanese ships near the coast of Vella Lavella.

• August 17th: Battle of Horaniu near Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands.
• September 4th: New Guinea is in Allied hands.
• October 6th: Battle of Vella Lavella until October 7th
• October 17: The Japanese and Americans exchange 3,000 civilian prisoners in Goa .
• November 1st: US Marines land at Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
• November 2:
  • The sea ​​battle at the Kaiserin Augusta Bay breaks out.
  • The Japanese take the Chinese city of Changde . In the ensuing battle for Changde , the Chinese recaptured the city by December 20th.
• November 5th and 6th: The Greater East Asian Conference takes place in Tokyo .
• November 20 to November 28: The Americans conquer the archipelago in the Battle of the Gilbert Islands .
• November 22nd to November 26th: At the Cairo Conference , Roosevelt and Chiang Kai-shek discuss how to proceed against Japan.
• November 26th: After the Battle of Cape St. George , the Solomon Islands are completely in American hands.
• December 25th: Landing takes off at Cape Gloucester in the western part of New Britain . It will end on February 10 of next year.

1944

• January 31 to late April: The Americans begin the battle for the Marshall Islands
• February 4: The Japanese advance through Burma to northern India .
• February 7th: Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands falls to the Americans (→ Battle of Kwajalein ).
• February 17 to February 23: Operation Catchpole (capture of Eniwetok Atoll)
• February 17 to February 18: Operation Hailstone (attack on Truk Atoll )
• March 20: capture of Emirau . This completes the isolation of Rabaul .
• February 29th: The Americans land on the Admiralty Islands (→ Battle for the Admiralty Islands ).
• 4. April. The Twentieth Air Force is founded for the strategic bombing of Japan .
• April 19th:
  • Beginning of the Japanese offensive Operation Ichi-gō in the direction of southeast China to open a land connection to Indochina and capture the Allied air bases.
  • Operation Cockpit : An Allied fleet, led by the British Eastern Fleet, fires at oil refineries in Sabang in northern Sumatra.
• April 22nd:
  • Operation Reckless begins - three Japanese-occupied airfields south of Hollandia are captured .
  • Operation Persecution begins - capture of an airfield near the Japanese-occupied Aitape .
• 17th of May:
  • The battle for Wakde-Sarmi in Dutch New Guinea begins. It lasts until September 17th of the year.
  • As a diversion from the Battle of Wakde-Sarmi, the Eastern Fleet bombs targets in Surabaja on Java in Operation Transom .
• May 27th: American troops land on the island of Biak
• June 5: 77 B-29 Superfortress bombers attack Japanese railway manufacturing facilities in Bangkok .

The Bunker Hill during a Japanese air raid in the Battle of the Philippine Sea

• June 15 to August 10: The Americans capture Saipan , Guam and Tinian in the Battle of the Mariana Islands (Operation Forager) .
• June 15: American B-29 bombers attack the main Japanese islands from Chinese bases.
• June 19 to June 20: Battle of the Philippine Sea .
• July 2 to August 31: Allied units capture three Japanese airfields on the island near New Guinea in the Battle of Noemfoor .
• July 18: Japanese Prime Minister Tōjō Hideki resigns under pressure from the military. They accuse him of losing Saipan.
• July 22nd: Koiso Kuniaki becomes the new Prime Minister of Japan.
• July 25: In Operation Crimson, carrier-supported planes bombard airfields and industrial facilities in the Sabang area.
• August: In the fourth battle for Changsha , Japan takes the Chinese city, but with heavy losses, which become of decisive importance in the further course of the war.
• August 16: In the Battle of Guilin-Liuzhou , the Japanese succeeded by November 24 in capturing airfields in southeast China where bombers and fighter jets of the United States Army Air Forces are stationed.
• August 22nd: The Japanese withdraw from India again.
• August 24: British carrier attack on Padang (→ Operation Banquet )
• September 15 to November 25: Battle of the Palau Islands .
• October 20: The liberation of the Philippines begins with the American landing on Leyte .
• November 5 to May 24, 1945: The Allies carry out air raids on Japanese-occupied Singapore, targeting the local naval base.
• October 24th to October 25th: Sea and air battle in the Gulf of Leyte . Destruction of the Japanese Navy.
• November 18: Under the code name Operation Outflank , the British launch four carrier-based attacks on the oil refineries in West Sumatra . The last attack ( Operation Meridian in January 1945) is the largest carrier attack in the history of the British Navy.
• November 24: First heavy air strike by Allied bombers on Tokyo from Saipan and Tinian.
• December 15th: Americans land in Mindoro , Philippines.
• December 18: The 3rd US fleet gets caught in a severe typhoon off Luzon , three destroyers sink.
• Towards the end of December: The Australian 6th Division begins its advance from Aitape to Wewak in the territory of New Guinea . The fighting against the remains of the emaciated Japanese 18th Army lasted until the end of the war.

1945

Flamethrower use in Okinawa

• January 3: First major incendiary bomb attack on US residential areas in Nagoya by 97 B-29 Superfortress bombers. (→  Air raids on Nagoya )
• January 6th: The Americans carried out a heavy napalm air raid on Nagoya with 57 B-29 bombers .
• January 9: Americans land in the Gulf of Lingayen in Luzon , Philippines, and the battle for Luzon begins
• February 3 to March 4: The Philippine capital is captured by the US Army in the Battle of Manila .
• February 4: First heavy American incendiary attack on the residential areas of Kobe by 110 B-29 Superfortress bombers. (→  air raids on Kobe )
• February 10 to February 20: the two Japanese hybrid aircraft carriers of the Ise class are being relocated from Singapore to Japan in Operation Kita .
• February 15: Heavy American air raid on Hamamatsu by B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• February 16 to February 17: First carrier-based air strikes on the main Japanese islands by Task Force 58 (TF 58) against targets in the Tokyo region
• February 19 to March 26: The island is conquered by the Americans in the Battle of Iwojima .
• February 25: First major fire bombing raid on residential areas of Tokyo by the Americans by 229 B-29 Superfortress bombers. (→  air raids on Tokyo )
• March 9: Heavy Allied air raid on Tokyo with 334 B-29 Superfortress bombers. The attacks will continue for ten days.
• March 12: Heavy American incendiary raid on Nagoya with 310 B-29 bombers.
• March 13: First heavy fire bombing raid on the residential areas of Osaka by the Americans by 110 B-29 bombers. (→  air raids on Osaka )
• March 16: Heavy area attack by the Americans with incendiary bombs on Kobe with 330 B-29 bombers.
• March 18: American heavy air raid on Nagoya by 310 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• March 21st:
  • The battle for West Henan and North Hubei begins in mainland China
  • Burma is completely liberated with the exception of the capital Rangoon .
• March 26: The Americans land on the Kerama Islands , around 25 kilometers west of Okinawa .
• April 1 to June 30: The Americans occupy the island in the Battle of Okinawa .
• April 5: The Soviet Union terminates the 1941 Japanese-Soviet Neutrality Pact.
• April 6: First kamikaze air raid ( Operation Kikusui ) on American warships off Okinawa.
• 7th of April:
  • Sinking of the largest battleship in the world, the Yamato (→  Operation Ten-gō ).
  • Koiso Kuniaki is stepping down from Prime Minister in Japan. He is succeeded by Suzuki Kantarō .

The battleship Haruna in the port of Kure under heavy bombing

• April 9th: Beginning of the battle for West Hunan in China , which lasted until June 7th .
• April 12: American President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies. Vice President Harry S. Truman takes over the office.
• April 13: American heavy air raid on Tokyo by 348 B-29 bombers with napalm bombs .
• April 15: Heavy American air raids on Kawasaki and Yokohama by 194 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• May 1st to August 15th: Borneo is liberated from the Allies as part of Operation Oboe .
• May 3: Rangoon is liberated.
• May 14th: Heavy area attack by the Americans with incendiary bombs on Nagoya with 524 B-29 bombers.
• . May 16: American heavy air raid on Nagoya by 516 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• May 23: The Americans launch a heavy incendiary bomb attack on Tokyo with 558 B-29 bombers.
• May 25: American heavy air raid on Tokyo by 498 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• May 29: American heavy air raid on Yokohama by 510 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• June 1: Heavy area attack by the Americans with incendiary bombs on Osaka with 509 B-29 bombers.
• June 5: Heavy American air raid on Kobe by 523 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• June 7th: Heavy American air raid on Osaka by 449 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• June 15: Heavy American incendiary raid on Osaka with 511 B-29 bombers.
• June 29th: Heavy area attack by the Americans with incendiary bombs on Okayama with B-29 bombers.
• July 10: Heavy American air raid on Chiba by B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• July 16: The first American atomic bomb is detonated above ground near Alamogordo (→  Trinity test ).
• July 19: Heavy area attack by the Americans with incendiary bombs on Sendai with B-29 bombers.
• July 21: US President Truman approves the use of the newly developed atomic bomb against Japan.
• July 24th, 25th and 28th: ​​Bombing of the port of Kure by American carrier aircraft. An aircraft carrier, three battleships, five cruisers and several smaller ships are sunk. Two other carriers are badly damaged.
• July 26: At the Potsdam Conference, Great Britain, China and the USA issued an ultimatum to Japan to surrender unconditionally (→  Potsdam Declaration ).
• July 29th: Japanese government rejects the ultimate surrender date.
• August 1st: The Americans fly heavy area attacks with incendiary bombs against Nagaoka , Hachiōji and Toyama with B-29 bombers .
• 6th of August:
  • At 8:16 a.m. local time, the Enola Gay bomber dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima . Around 90,000 people die immediately (→  the atom bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ).
  • Heavy area attack by the Americans with incendiary bombs on Kobe with 261 B-29 bombers.
• August 7th: Heavy American air raid on Toyokawa by B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs.
• August 8th: The Soviet Union declares war on Japan in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement and invades Manchuria (→  Operation Auguststurm ).

Atomic bomb on Hiroshima

• August 9: At 11:02 a.m. local time, the second atomic bomb detonates over Nagasaki . Around 36,000 people die instantly (→  atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ).
• August 14:
  • Heavy American air raid on Osaka by 161 B-29 bombers with incendiary bombs. On this day there are a total of 818 B-29s over Japan.
  • During a morning meeting in the Imperial Palace , the Japanese cabinet decides to surrender to the Allies. At 8:10 p.m. in Switzerland , this declaration will be handed over to the head of the Foreign Affairs Department , Max Petitpierre in Bern , who will forward it to Washington. At midnight, US President Truman announced the Japanese surrender in a press conference.
• 15th of August:
  • The Philippines are completely liberated from the Americans.
  • Emperor Hirohito announces the surrender on Japanese radio (→  Gyokuon-hōsō ).
  • Task Force 38 is conducting the final launch vehicle air strikes against targets in the Tokyo area.
• August 17: Higashikuni Naruhiko becomes Japanese Prime Minister after Suzuki Kantarō's resignation.
• August 28: Air Force technicians are the first American unit to land on the Atsugi airfield near Tokyo in Japan.
• August 30th:
  • The first regular occupation forces arrive in Tokyo Bay and go ashore.
  • The British move into Hong Kong.
• September 2: The surrender of Japan is signed on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
• September 4th: Japanese units surrender on wake .
• September 5: The British return to Singapore.
• September 6: The US launches Operation Magic Carpet to bring as many soldiers home from the Pacific as possible by Christmas.
• September 9: The Japanese surrender in Nanjing , China and Korea .
• September 13th: The Japanese surrender in Burma.

See also

• Chronology of the Second World War
• Second World War
• Pacific War
• Portal: Pacific War